VoiceThread

VoiceThread - ISTE 2010


http://edtechvision.wikispaces.com/VoiceThread
VoiceThread on Twitter: voicethread
ISTE10's VoiceThread on Twitter: #istevt
Backchannel: http://todaysmeet.com/istevt

What is VoiceThread?
I attended a session at ISTE this summer about VoiceThread that provided me with some wonderful teaching ideas. First, let me explain what VoiceThread is. VoiceThread.com says:

A VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slide show that holds images, documents, and videos and allows people to navigate pages and leave comments in 5 ways - using voice, text, audio file, image file or video. With VoiceThread, group conversations are collected and shared in one place from anywhere in the world -- all with no software to install.

To get a better idea of what VoiceThread is, watch the following VoiceThread about VoiceThread:



Creating a VoiceThread
The first step in creating a VoiceThread is planning. Before beginning the technical process, be sure to answer the following questions: One: What is my goal? Two: What kind of presentation is this going to be? Once you have decided the direction of your VoiceThread, prepare the media you plan to use in your project. Save all the needed documents, video, audio, and pictures in a file ahead of time so they are ready to be uploaded when the time comes.

Once you have a plan in mind, the technical process begins. First, you will need to register and create a VoiceThread account. Once you are logged in, you will see the three steps to create your project. Step one: Upload the media you have prepared. Step two: Record your comments. Step three: Share your project. To edit, use the tools located around the VoiceThread's window to alter your project's elements, pages, comments, and settings.

Visit the VoiceThread support page to find more detailed instructions, answers to frequently asked questions, and helpful hints for creating projects.

Tips and Suggestions
There are a lot of things you can do to improve your projects, to make the creation process easier, and to adjust your projects to better fit the needs of your students:

• You can upload the pictures you plan to use in your VoiceThread onto Flikr and automatically add a folder to your project.
• Use your computer's built-in microphone or a USB headset to record audio for your VoiceThread.
• You can input your cell phone number onto VoiceThread, and the site will call you to record your audio.
• PowerPoints can be easily uploaded onto VoiceThread. Save your PowerPoint slides as jpg files and upload them to your VoiceThread.
• If you need to include copyright information for photos you have used, you can screen capture the copyright information and upload the image onto your VoiceThread.
• Record your voice or use video clips to upload to your VoiceThread.
• Upload a variety of files to your VoiceThread including pdf, docs, etc.
  
• You can record up to 15 minutes of audio per slide on the VoiceThread site.
• The VoiceThread site will automatically scale photos so they fit the allotted space.
• When recording, to avoid all the classroom noise, you can put a box on the student's head or hold a book up behind the microphone to block out the noise.
• Allow anyone to view and anyone to comment on your VoiceThreads, but be sure to moderate all comments.
• If you are concerned about sharing student work, you can opt to not allow your VoiceThread to be shown on the browse list.
• You can create sharing groups to choose who can view and comment on specific VoiceThreads.
• You can export your VoiceThread as a .mov file and burn copies for your class.
• You can subscribe to VoiceThreads that you like.

Teaching Ideas
Using technology tools in your classroom can increase student engagement in the learning process and help them connect to the curriculum in an authentic way. Following are some ideas of how you can use VoiceThread in your classroom to enhance student learning. As you read through these ideas, keep in mind that with VoiceThread online discussions can be had with anyone anywhere in the world. Students can interact with classmates, or students and experts far beyond the walls of their school.

• Asynchronous Debate - Students research, plan, and prewrite a debate speech, then record and upload their speech to VoiceThread. They find images to go along with their speech. Each debate team listens to the opposing speech and then takes five minutes to plan a rebuttle and record it on VoiceThread. Such a debate can be held between various class sections, between different schools, and at different locations.
  
• Explorers - Students create slides about different explorers and record information about them. Later, students can compare and contrast the explorers they have learned about on the pages of their class VoiceThread. They can record their findings on their original page.
• Civil War Simulation - Students record first-person accounts of historical figures from the Civil War.
  
• Middle Ages Feudal System - Students post pictures representing all the different classes of people in the medieval social system. They record either a description of their rolls, rights, and lifestyles or mock first-person accounts of their lives.
  
• Interview an Expert - Help an expert set up a VoiceThread about their field of expertise. After learning from the VoiceThread, students record questions for the experts to answer. The expert then records answers to the students questions. Finally, the students create a VoiceThread as a report (ie. on an animal), and the expert views the report, listens, asks questions, and makes comments.

For additional teaching ideas, visit the VoiceThread idea page or simply browse through VoiceThreads that others have created.

Benefits
There are many benefits to using VoiceThread in your classroom:

• Creative Process - Creating VoiceThreads is fun and a great chance for students to be creative!
  
• Motivation - Students are often motivated by using new tools and technology to create projects.
  
• Collaboration - Students are able to work with a variety of people in their own classroom or from all over the world.
• No boundaries - Students can communicate with others without the restrictions of time and location.
• Writing - Those who may not be big writers yet can express themselves through VoiceThread.
• Speaking - Students who are not yet comfortable with public speaking can get experience with speaking and gain confidence through VoiceThread.
  
• Multimedia - Students learn to combine audio, pictures, video, etc. in creative and effective ways.
• Audience - It is highly motivational to create a project that will be viewed by a real world-wide audience beyond just one teacher or class. A live, responsive audience adds validity and vitality to student work.
  
• Feedback - The "conversation" between the creator and viewers of each VoiceThread are invaluable.
  

Examples
Following are some great examples of student VoiceThreads:

Math Strategies


Class Art Collection


Explorer Journals

Mission US

http://www.uen.org/missionus/
http://www.mission-us.org/

Register - they don't track the accounts except to allow you to jump in and out of your game



Interactive game that allows students to make decisions as if they were a person living during the revolutionary war.
Historical fiction - some of the characters are real people from history, some are fictional
The decisions that the students make build and impact the events in their game later on, especially as it starts to show whether they are a patriot or loyal to the crown.
Students develop relationships with other characters and collect items that will affect the rest of their game.
Sometimes, you have to break the rules that the other characters tell you. You've got to decide whether you are going to follow what they say you should do or not. The teacher can help students make these discussions by educating them on the topics. For example, when told not to buy supplies from South Carolina, you need to decide if you should or not -- are they British imports or are they not?
It takes about 3 hours to play the whole game. Teachers could take as long as they want to guide the students through the game -- an hour and the rest at home, or a few days in class.
There are a lot of lessons that could be taught along with the game. Teachers can teach as many of these lessons and hold as many class discussions that tie into the game as desired.
Teacher resources include lesson plans, copies of the historical documents referenced in the games, etc.
There are EXTENSIVE resources for the teacher.
Recommended for 5th or 8th grade. Great for 5th because of the game/cartoon aspect. But, great for 8th grade because of the decisions that need to be made, and therefore the discussions that can be had.
Teachers should preview the game and the decisions before hand so they can help the students make the decisions they would like them to that will enable them to focus on the topics they would like most to discuss.
This is great at presenting multiple points of view in history. For example, when the Boston Massacre happens, each student may get different events and decisions. Then, they can discuss with their

PowerPoint/Keynote Presentations

I recently helped a 5th grade class create basic PowerPoint presentations on Native Americans. The teacher asked me to teach the basics of creating slides for the presentation, then go over a few rules to guide them in creating effective presentations. I found a couple of great blog posts and resources to help.

First, I wanted to get a good, basic list of presentation tips. Michael Hyatt lists 5 Rules for Better Presentations on his blog. In summary, they are:

1. Don’t give your presentation software center stage.
2. Create a logical flow to your presentation.
3. Make your presentation readable.
4. Remember, less is more.
5. Distribute a handout.

I recommend you take a closer look at his explanations about these 5 tips, particularly the point about distributing a handout. I am not usually a fan of providing paper copies of almost anything, but I do agree with him that providing a copy of your slides at the end of a presentation lessens the stress of those listeners who feel they need to write everything down. Perhaps the compromise it to provide listeners with a link to an electronic copy of your presentation.

After offering some basics to the students, I wanted to be able to show them some PowerPoint examples, particularly dealing with tip #3. I searched Google for some PowerPoints about PowerPoint. (Side note: For those who are not aware, if you add filetype:ppt to the end of your Google search, all of your search results will be actual PowerPoint presentations.) I found a presentation with examples and non-examples of PowerPoint slides. It reviewed concepts like limiting the number of words on a slide, not over-doing animations, sounds, and color, choosing readable fonts, etc. Click here to download this presentation.

I am a fan of the Apple iWork software, so I do feel I should mention that Keynote is a great program to use for creating presentations as well. For one thing, I more familiar with Apple menus and navigation. I find my way around Keynote much more easily than in PowerPoint. I also love the animation and movie-making capabilities in Keynote. If you've never given it a try, I highly recommend it!

Microorganisms

A teacher recently asked if I could find some Internet sites that help reinforce the 6th grade curriculum on microorganisms. First I have included the Utah Core Curriculum on microorganisms, then I have listed some of the sites I was able to find:

Core Curriculum on UEN
Science Benchmark: Microorganisms are those living things that are visible as individual organisms only with the aid of magnification. Microorganisms are components of every ecosystem on Earth. Microorganisms range in complexity from single to multicellular organisms. Most microorganisms do not cause disease and many are beneficial. Microorganisms require food, water, air, ways to dispose of waste, and an environment in which they can live. Investigation of microorganisms is accomplished by observing organisms using direct observation with the aid of magnification, observation of colonies of these organisms and their waste, and observation of microorganisms' effects on an environment and other organisms.

Standard 5 : Students will understand that microorganisms range from simple to complex, are found almost everywhere, and are both helpful and harmful.

Objective 1: Observe and summarize information about microorganisms.

1. Examine and illustrate size, shape, and structure of organisms found in an environment such as pond water.
2. Compare characteristics common in observed organisms (e.g., color, movement, appendages, shape) and infer their function (e.g., green color found in organisms that are producers, appendages help movement).
3. Research and report on a microorganism's requirements (i.e., food, water, air, waste disposal, temperature of environment, reproduction).

Objective 2 : Demonstrate the skills needed to plan and conduct an experiment to determine a microorganism's requirements in a specific environment.

1. Formulate a question about microorganisms that can be answered with a student experiment.
2. Develop a hypothesis for a question about microorganisms based on observations and prior knowledge.
3. Plan and carry out an investigation on microorganisms. {Note: Teacher must examine plans and procedures to assure the safety of students; for additional information, you may wish to read microbe safety information on Utah Science Home Page.}
4. Display results in an appropriate format (e.g., graphs, tables, diagrams).
5. Prepare a written summary or conclusion to describe the results in terms of the hypothesis for the investigation on microorganisms.

Objective 3 : Identify positive and negative effects of microorganisms and how science has developed positive uses for some microorganisms and overcome the negative effects of others.

1. Describe in writing how microorganisms serve as decomposers in the environment.
2. Identify how microorganisms are used as food or in the production of food (e.g., yeast helps bread rise, fungi flavor cheese, algae are used in ice cream, bacteria are used to make cheese and yogurt).
3. Identify helpful uses of microorganisms (e.g., clean up oil spills, purify water, digest food in digestive tract, antibiotics) and the role of science in the development of understanding that led to positive uses (i.e., Pasteur established the existence, growth, and control of bacteria; Fleming isolated and developed penicillin).
4. Relate several diseases caused by microorganisms to the organism causing the disease (e.g., athlete's foot -fungi, streptococcus throat -bacteria, giardia -protozoa).
5. Observe and report on microorganisms' harmful effects on food (e.g., causes fruits and vegetables to rot, destroys food bearing plants, makes milk sour).

Science language students should use: algae, fungi, microorganism, decomposer, single-celled, organism, bacteria, protozoan, producer, hypothesis, experiment, investigation, variable, control, culture

Websites:

• UEN Educational Links, Standard 5
• UEN Educational Links, Standard 5, Objective 1
• UEN Educational Links, Standard 5, Objective 2
• UEN Educational Links, Standard 5, Objective 3
• BBC Bitesize Science - Microorganisms - Interactive activity about helpful & harmful microorganisms
• Science NetLinks - Invisible Allies: Microbes That Shape Our Lives - Book
• Science NetLinks - Microbes 1: What's Bugging You? - Lesson
• Science NetLinks - Microbes 2: Louis Pasteur - A Microbe Discoverer - Lesson
• Science NetLinks - Sanitation and Human Health - Lesson
• Microbe World - Meet the Microbe - Informational site
• Microbe Zoo - Digital Learning Center for Microbial Ecology
• National Geographic - Creepy Critters - Quiz/game identifying microorganisms that live on the human body
• NOVA - Disease Detective - Webquest-type activity to identify which microorganisms caused an illness in some campers
• Harmful Algae - Informational site about the harm algae can cause
• Utah State University - Microorganisms in the Macrocosm - Series of lesson plans, handouts, and other resource links
• American Museum of Natural History - Infection, Detection, Protection - Several activities and informational sites about microorganisms and the connection to diseases
• The Children's University of Manchester - Microorganisms - Collection of interactive learning modules and quizes about various types of microorganisms

Great Gadgets

Gadgets for Everyone!
lesliefisher.com

This post is for all those techie geeks out there who like to learn about the latest and greatest gadgets. Leslie Fisher is an expert at keeping up with all the newest tech tools. Following is a list of gadgets Leslie shared at ISTE10 that you might find interesting and helpful. Some are very helpful teaching tools, and some are just for fun. Enjoy!

eventbrite.com
Eventbrite is a website that allows you to set up an event with online registration. With it, you can process credit card payments, accepts donations, manages recurring events, add number caps and waitlists, and create name badges and certificates for your events. This is a free tool for free events. If you plan to charge for your events, Eventbrite charges 2.5% +99¢ per event for each pay ticket sold.

Google Voice
Google Voice sets up a universal phone number that you can attach to as many phone numbers as you want. This universal number can be set up to ring multiple phones (like your cell phone, home phone, and work phone) or go straight to voicemail. You can also use Google Voice to send yourself text, SMS, or email transcriptions of any voicemail messages you receive.



tripit.com
Send your travel itineraries to plans@tripit.com from your signed-up email account, and
Tripit will create an itinerary for you. You can then share itineraries as well as output info to many calendar formats. You can even print a master itinerary if you still like paper. Tripit also supports social networking, but be careful making travel plans available to the world. You don't want those with ill intentions knowing when you will be away from your home.

Twitter
Did you know you can add your twitter feed to your website? Go to twitter.com/goodies, click on widgets, and click on the profile widget and it will give you the code to put Twitter onto your website. This can be used for tweets, for @replies, and to search any criteria.

Tweetdeck
Organize who you are following on Twitter into logical groups. Add multiple twitter accounts, photo support, as well as facebook feeds. Tweetdeck is free!


Remember the Milk
Rememberthemilk.com is free unless you connect to a mobile client. Use it create to do lists or to create task lists for conferences or trainings. Remember the Milk supports social networking.



Evernote
Evernote.com is free! It is note-taking software. Grab anything - web pages, pictures, notes - using your web cam, phone, camera, etc. Evernote will place all your notes in a central, private location on their server so you can access your notes from anywhere. Evernote will perform OCR recognition on all submissions, even photos, to allow easy searching. (OCR recognition means that it will read a scanned document and transform what you have scanned into a word processing entry that is then editable.) You can then create albums and organize your information further. Albums can also be made public on the web. Use the iPhone app to access your notes on your iPhone. The Evernote site has Great demo videos.

Etherpad/Typwith.me
Create a shared document with simultaneous typing so your students can work on the document at the same time. Each document has a time slider that allows you to go back to any of the edits that were made and play it back. Right now it is limited to 15 people at a time. Etherpad is now embeded in googledocs (go into settings to activate it) with no 15 person limit.

Zamzar
Zamzar.com converts files. Send them a file or URL you want to convert from one format to another. They can even convert files directly from YouTube. The converted file will be sent to your email. It's free!

UStream
Ustream is a free site to post streaming video. Use a webcam and stream your video online.

mozy.com
Mozy.com is online encrypted backup for Mac or PC. It is free for up to 2 gigs. It is $5 a month for unlimited data.

Cisco Media Hub
The Media Hub allows you to backup multiple computers. You can grant remote access to any device.

Apple Time Capsule
Time Capsule is part wireless router and part backup. When paired with TimeMachine, it will make hourly backups of your Mac.

Orbicule Undercover
If your Mac is stolen Orbicle will secretly transmit the IP and Router information so you can locate where it has been taken. It will also take a screenshot with your built in camera and mail it to you every 6 minutes so you can see who is using your stolen computer. If that still does not help you locate your stolen computer, it is ready with Plan B. Orbicle will slowly dim your computer screen to make it look like a screen failure has occurred. When your machine is then taken to the Apple store to be sold or fixed, it is like it has been returned to the mother ship. A message alerting Apple that yours is a stolen machine will appear. The volume on your computer will automatically turn up to the loudest setting, and your computer will yell, "STOLEN!" over and over again. The cost is $49.00.

Photos (paid)
These sites have a store of photos you can use for projects. These sites are not free, but offer more photos than some of the free sites do.

• Clipart.com
• Novadevelopment.com
• istockphoto.com
  
• istockphoto.com/lesliefisher-offer.php - If you would like 15% off the membership fee for istockphoto.com, go to this link for Leslie Fisher's discount.
  

Digital Cameras
Here are some suggestions of good digital cameras for personal use. Both of these cameras can take 6 images per second. They are particularly good for low light settings. They both have panorama mode.

• Sony Cybershot Hx1 - $399 - more zoom
  
• Sony Cybershot HX5V - $349
  

Camera Cards
Using a professionally rated memory card will improve the quality of your pictures.
The Lexar Professional and the SanDisk ExtremeIII are good cards. These take pictures more quickly and with better quality.

smugmug.com
If you use smugmug.com for photo sharing you can upload photos of any size. The charge is $75 per year for as many photos as you want at any size. Free accounts are available for non-profit organizations. Some schools have sold their photos from school events to make money for their school using Smugmug.

Fast, Easy Video
If you are looking for some simple, easy-to-use video cameras, here are some suggestions:

• Kodak Zi8
• Flip

• Sony Bloggie

Audio/Video Portability
Here are some suggestions for those who can't get enough of your TV!

• Pinnacle PCTV HD Pro Stick - Hooks your PC to your TV
• EyeTV Hybrid - Onscreen TV Guide with DV
• Sling Media - a box that hooks up to your home theatre and uses Internet connection to broadcast the signal to your CPU, phone, etc.

Video Options
Want to watch TV shows and movies online?

• Netflix Streaming
• Hulu.com
• Boxee: "Social Media Center" - Access media from the web and your CPU in one central interface. You can share media with your friend list.

Home Theater Nut?

• Logitech Harmony One - smart universal remote
• Harmony 1110 - more expensive

Droid/iPhone
Enter text with continuous motion.

• Swype - Droid
  
• Shapewriter - iPhone
  

iPad
Why would you want an iPad? The iPad has affordable apps, has a 7-hour battery, and is portable. The iPad is bringing reading back because i makes it simple and fun it is to use e-readers! The iPad has a variety of cool apps like Proloquo2Go, Star Walk, iStudiez Pro, NewsRack, Instapaper, and GoodReader.
There are many cool cases that have been created for the iPad. The DODO Case is Leslie Fisher's favorite. A couple other good ones are the Quirky Cloak and Hard Candy. Hard candy is particularly good for use with kids because it protects well.

New Apps
It can be difficult to keep up with all the new apps that become available for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Appshopper.com is a site that will help you keep up with the latest and greatest apps. Here are a few new, popular apps:

• Loopt - Keep up with your friends and follow where they are on a map
  
• Foursquare - Post where you are and get points and status for where you've gone
  
• Gowalla - This app is like Foursquare but allows users to create new locations. It has a better interface, but is not as popular as Foursquare. It is a little like geo caching -- you collect items and give them away to other people.

Charging Devices
Keeping your devices charged is quite a challenge! Here are a few tools to help keep your devices running:

• www.solio.com - a solar power charger - 1 hour of sunlight = 20 minutes of talk time

• www.kensington.com - mobile device chargers
  
• MoPhie Juice Pack - a charging case

Audio
At ion-audio.com you can find a whole variety of great audio tools that can plug your old-school audio devices (records, tapes, VCRs) into your computer through a USB port.
Visit livescribe.com for information about a pen that can record and play back the notes you take.

Miscellaneous Geeky Items:
keyspan.com - presenter remote controlls
thinkgeek.com/tshirts-apparel/interactive/991e - Wi-Fi Detector T-shirt


sfbags.com - Great computer-carrying bags
thinktankphoto.com - Inventive camera bags
northface - laptop backpacks
loewpro.com - online training courses on a variety of skills
despair.com - unmotivational posters
diy.despair.com/motivator.php - Create your own unmotivational posters

*Mash Media: New Web, Old Media, and Your Own Stuff

Mash Media: New Web, Old Media, and Your Own Stuff
Hall Davidson
Notes from ISTE10

tinyurl.com/istemashup
http://senduit.com/005669
http://www.wallwisher.com/wall/istemashup
discoveryedspeakersbureau.com

Sometimes the Internet is not our friend (it doesn't want to work for us when we need it!)

Use Web2.0 sites and media library
Download them & screen capture them
Mash them together

Great Web2.0 Sites:
gizmoz.com
blabberize.com - make pictures look like they're talking
secondlife -- screen capture your adventures in second life so that you are sure about the content the kids will see -- no streakers will run by :)
tagul.com
wikipedia.com
glogster.com
googlelittrips.org
jamendo -- free music dowloads
digimi
gizmos
Discovery Education Streaming
California Student Media Festival

For digital portfolios, you want them to not only be online, but also in hard copy, like a dvd
What if the Internet is down? Screen captures will allow you to have your own copy. For many (most?) the sites themselves say this is totally ok.

Screen Capture Tools:
camstudio - *Best for PC - free
jing - free
quicktime10
iShowU - cheapest good one
Camtasia
Skitch
SnapzPro - great, but not free
iShowUPro

You can use an old digital video camera (the kind that eat tapes) connected through the firewire cable instead of your built-in iSite camera to record the room or to do a screen capture or skype onto your computer. This also allows you to zoom in and out.

Email geec@google.com and tell them you're a teacher and want google earth pro for free

HyperStudio for free. Go to booth 840 and they'll give you a free CD and license.

On a Mac pick a green background for a picture/movie and bring it into iMovie and use greenscreen to mash a web pic/movie with a project you're building.

Build things in PowerPoint and export as a jpg

EPEARL

EPEARL - Electronic Portfolio Encouraging Active Reflective Learning
Notes from ISTE10

Portfolios Need To:

• Be purposeful and meaningful - more than just a collection
• Show progress over time
• Allow for student reflection

Key Features:

• Student centered (managed by the student)
• One portfolio per student
• Follows student from year to year
• Aligned with the Core Curriculum
• Access from anywhere
• Everything in one place
• Easy to use (for students and teachers)

Added Value of a Digital Portfolio:

• Fims
• Sounds
• Images
• Documents
• Podcasts

Pedagogical Principles:

• Collection
• Selection - Teachers can have a checklist of required items, but students should also have a choice of which items they use to fill the requirements.
  
• Reflection - SRL Model - Planning -> Doing -> Reflecting -> Planning -> Doing... - This happens many times throughout the year so that the student doesn't get to the end of the year after their final evaluation and say, "Oh. That's what you wanted."
  
• Evaluation - Not just a final grade mark
  
• Celebration - Have students select one piece of their portfolio to share with classmates, teachers, parents, etc. Have treats!

EPEARL program itself is not open source, but it is free code. It is local server-based. They will give you the code to put on your server.

http://sakai.learnquebec.ca:8808/ltk/

Turning Tech Novices into Building-Level Champions

“A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
Notes from ISTE10

Sandra Reed
Be careful with what we ask the principals to do -- they are very busy!
When we assign them a task, try to take something off their plate as we put something on there. We should be helping make things more efficient.
We have a responsibility to model appropriate use of technology. We model for principals how to be a model and tech cheerleader.
The more we can alleviate the fears that teachers have, the more technology integration will occur.

Bill Morrison
The pedagogy has to change before technology can effectively help create new environments.
We need to provide effective (authentic, project-based) professional development for principals in educational technology.
Create a principal-specific PD plan to address instructional technology.
authentic, collaborative, student-centered classrooms
encourage principals to attend the same PD that their teachers receive
Let them observe what good tech instruction looks like
Bring teams of principals in to technology model classrooms to observe complete lessons using tech
We need to help create a shared vision/framework for effective instruction.
Create a school-level instructional technology leadership team
Encourage principals to conduct technology training sessions themselves, observe in classrooms for tech use, encourage peer mentoring

Chris Lehman
We don’t need “technology plans”, we need “education plans”. They are NOT two different things!
RIght now, I am not doing a laptop project, I am working with my laptop as a tool. It’s not a separate thing. Stop talking about it as if it’s a separate thing.
Don’t talk about things as a blog project, talk about it as a water cycle project done on a blog.
Technology is not additive to education, it is transformative.
Talk about the vision first, not the tools first.
We’re doing things we’ve always done -- research, social networking, etc. -- we’re just transforming how we’re doing it (with technology tools).
Good practice first, not just tools.
We need to have courage and we need to help principals have courage.

What role do confidence and trust play in building level professionals' acceptance of technology?
What do you do to build up their confidence?

• Find out what they want to learn -- what they want to gain
• Make sure you're leaving them capable of continuing on their own
• "Lift where you stand" -- own the problem -- when you learn of a need/issue, you follow it through to the end so they can learn you can be relied on
• Increased support and manpower
  

How do you foster a culture of trust?

• Members of the team are also teachers, not just "IT people"
• Learn, get feedback, and change based on needs/feedback
• Be human
• Be responsive
• It's not us vs. them -- district vs. schools

What are some common reasons as to why building level admins are hesitant to embrace instructional technology? More importantly, how can district level leaders work with building level admins to overcome those challenges?

• It can't be "one more thing" it's got to be a transformation
• Pre-service education at the universities need to prepare admins to better understand instructional tech
• Who are you hiring? New hires should be people who are willing and capable
  
• The superintendents are vitally important. They need our help and support to set the example for the principals
• Should be part of the school improvement plan

What are good models for assessing effective use of technology in the classroom? How do you provide that feedback down to the teacher level and aggregate it for district level decision making?

• The ed plan and the ed tech plan need to be the same plan. There is no difference.
• You need to decide as a district what framework you are following (Marzano, etc.) so you can observe it
• Need for a shared vision in district/schools

What professional learning experiences are most effective in effecting change among principals who are least likely to engage on the issue teaching and learning effectively with technology? Which district leaders can collaborate to deliver this type of professional learning?

• Listen to the kids and the parents -- they can teach you a lot
• Aim at the middle third -- the top will enthusiastically adopt the changes and innovation, the bottom will be resistant, the middle are the ones who will do it if you help them -- they will bring up the bottom third
• Principals were trained as managers, not educator models. Show them what it looks like. Model for them. Show them how to get there -- ongoing coaching and resources
• Move to a PLC model with the principal training rather than trying to train them after principal info meetings when they're worn out and stressed about what is going on at their schools
• Use things like Google apps to help them
  

*Scratch Lifelong Kindergarten - Keeping Imagination & Creativity in the Learning Process

Lifelong Kindergarten - Keeping Imagination & Creativity in the Learning Process
Mitchel Resnick, MIT Media Lab
Notes from ISTE10

Primary URL:
http://llk.media.mit.edu

Handouts / Papers:
Available at http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/Learning-Leading-final.pdf
Available at http://web.media.mit.edu/~mres/papers/CC2007-handout.pdf

We need to extend this kindergarten approach to learning even in later, more advanced education.
We may need different tools than crayons and blocks to keep it going. Technology can help keep this cycle going so we don't think the only choice we have is to try to just dump data into the students' brains.

Are we asking our students to consume or create?

For Example, Scratch
Imagine -- Get an idea, like from the Warrior Cat novels
Create -- allows students to create their own story or interactive activity or game instead of a computer game that creates the story and actions for them.
Play -- try to build different action combos
Share -- post on the Scratch website and comment/interact with other users
Reflect -- saw others' ideas and comments and edit/add to the project

We want students to begin thinking, "How does that work?"
Scratch helps them think more in programming language, variables
Now can even create their own scratch controllers for activities they create

ScratchEd - ideas for using scratch in education
Scratch Day - people from all over the world hold workshops and create projects with scratch
Scratch @ MIT Conference - August 11-14, 2010 http://scratch.mit.edu/conference
Coming next year... Scratch 2.0 -- will enable students to create projects more collaboratively online
http://scratch.mit.edu
http://scratched.media.mit.edu
http://scratch.mit.edu/conference

Scratch is not the most important part -- it's just the tool. The important part is re-thinking learning and how we can use technology to remember this "Kindergarten" style of learning.

Engagement: What is it? Where can I get some?

ISTE 2010
Bernie Dodge, PhD
San Diego State University
http://webquest.org/workshops/engagement7/



As I have reflected on the school year I have thought about what successes I have had and what goals need to be set for next year. In particular, I have thought about the professional development training and classes I have taught. I think it is easy, particularly when teaching with technology tools, to assume learners will be engaged just because technology is involved. I think it is also easy to assume that teachers will be engaged in professional development training if they have chosen to attend. These are assumptions I cannot afford to make if I want to be an effective teacher. What do I need to do to keep learners engaged in the lessons I am teaching?

Last summer at the ISTE conference in Denver, I attended a session on the very topic of student engagement. In his presentation, Bernie Dodge said, "Engagement is critical. It is a valve that controls how much information gets into the minds of our learners."

So, if engagement is critical, I need to understand more about it. First, what is engagement? Engagement is...

• commitment
• being involved because you want to not because you have to
• true interest
• being utterly tuned in, focused

Engagement looks like...

• asking questions
• interactions
• time flies

Engagement is NOT simply...

• not disrupting
• sitting quietly
• smiling and nodding

Time flies when you're having fun, right? So, if one descriptor of engaged learning is that time seems to fly by, then making lessons fun can help engage students. But, how do we plan fun lessons that really help our students learn? What is the difference between fun and boring?

Fun--

• thinking critically
• thinking creatively
• remembering
• performing
• presenting
• moving around
• highly challenging tasks
• teacher enthusiasm
• interacting with artifacts, the instructor, or other learners
• sensory rich experiences
• physical activity
• human interest

Boring --

• lectures are rarely mentioned as "fun"

What about technology?
Often teachers use technology to help lessons be more fun (engaging). In my case, all of my lesson utilize technology. It is important to remember, however, that using technology does not automatically make a lesson engaging. New tools are like visiting a new country -- it's very exciting to take that new trip -- but you've got to remember where you're from. In other words, good, engaging teaching is not about what you can buy from the vendors, it's about remembering what we already know about good teaching. It's not about the technology, it's how you use it.
Engaged learning has to be centered in collaboration and is a combination of constructivist principles and problem-based learning. Engagement is really all about interactions -- not about the tools, but about the interactions between students, people, materials, etc. It's about the topic you're trying to teach and using as much of the brain as possible.

For example, many novice teachers often come in thinking they need to lecture. Some may even create elaborate PowerPoint presentations to go along with their lectures, thinking that adding that technology component will make their lesson engaging. Perhaps their lecture is a little more engaging than it would have been without the PowerPoint, but a presentation alone does not get students interacting. On the other hand, a WebQuest that contains the same information as the lecture mentioned, but causes the students to work, explore, discuss, and answer questions would be very engaging.

Esquire magazine attempted this type of engagement in their Augmented Reality Issue with Robert Downey, Jr. This issue took the magazine to a new level. It allowed readers to interact with the magazine like never before. If Esquire magazine understands that they need to engage their readers in the learning experience, we should too!

Technology tools can be used to enhance learning by increasing engagement if they are used effectively. Consider the same tool being used in different ways:
Scenario 1: Teacher demonstration = low interaction/low engagement
--Scenario 2: Students explore, but the teacher hasn't really asked them to do anything with it
----Scenario 3: Students are asked questions to find answers to
------Scenario 4: The teacher gives a task that requires students to interact with tools and classmates to accomplish

360 Site Ideas:
Take the plot of a novel -- how would it change if it took place in Yemen instead?
Geometry
Architecture
What sites would you want to visit?
Where would you take a photo of your city so people would see the important sites?
Compare/contrast cities
Give a tour of the city, for example as a country report
Tell the story of the people in the picture

How can we measure engagement in our own teaching?
Rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10. Observe what the teacher is doing, then what the students are doing. Indicate the kind of thinking required for what they are doing (Bloom's Taxonomy).

Thinking about interactions can help us plan our lessons -- Is there time for student-teacher interaction? Time for student-student interactions? Self reflection?

How can we improve? Ask a friend to watch you teach and watch the interactions.

How do we judge the quality of the interactions the students are having? That is the key. Bloom's taxonomy and the nature of the tasks they are doing the interacting for can help us judge that, but that's what we need to work on.

Links Mentioned During the Session

• Time Lapse of a baby playing. Pure engagement!
  
• Learning, Motivation & Fun. Videos of 160 stories about engaged learning.
  
• O’Malley, K. et al, (2003). Validation of an observational instrument for Measuring student engagement in health professions settings. Evaluation & the health professions, 2003, 26; 86.
• Esquire's Augmented Reality Issue. Was on the newstands in December, 2009 and will be in your textbooks soon. Be afraid.
• WebQuest.org - Designed from the start for engagement
• Slate Magazine's News Dots
• 360 Cities: View from a rooftop in Sana'a
• Smithsonian National Postal Museum
• Primary Access - Make stories based on historical images
• Twine - A tool for creating interactive stories

Getting the Most from Your iPhone: Apps, Tips, and Tricks

Notes from a presentation by David Pownell, Washburn University at ISTE10

http://you-learning.org/

http://you-learning.org/iste2010b103.html

You can click and hold down on the 123 button and slide to numbers instead of switching to number mode.

To help your iPhone show up better under the docucam, adjust the screen lightness/darkness on the phone itself.


Collaborating and Communicating
Email
• Doodle Buddy -draw and email (free with ads)
• Dragon Dictation -speech to text (free)
Texting
• TextFree (free with ads and limited number)
• WhatsApp Messenger
Share iPhone to iPhone
• Bump -share contact and photos (free)
Shared web resources
• DropBox -share documents (free)
Social Networking
• Facebook (free)

Manipulating Information
Search
• Google Voice Web Search (free)
Gather
• Evernote -notes everywhere (free and paid versions)
Measure, Calculate, Convert
• MultiConvert -converts anything (free)

Create and edit documents
• QuickOffice Mobile -edit create Office docs ($$)
• Documents to Go ($$)
Location Based
• Yelp -find businesses and reviews (free)
Add web content
• WordPress -add to Wordpress blog (free)
• Facebook (free)

Organizing and Planning
Notes and To Do
• To Do (free)
• Omnifocus -advanced to do ($$$)
Planning
• iMindMap (free)
Specialized
• Shopper -shopping lists (free and $)


Teaching and Learning
Reference Information
• Wordweb (free, audio version $)
Learning
• QuickGraph (free)
• Formulas ($)
• Pop Math Lite (free)
• Matches (free)
Flashcard apps
• iFlashcards Free (free with ads)
Reading
• Kindle for iPhone (free)
• GoodReader (free and $)
Read News
• NYTimes (free)
Explore your current location
• Google Earth (free)
Language
• 24/7 Spanish (free)

Living, Lifestyle, and Self-Improvement
Interact with businesses
• Bank of America (free)
Information & reviews of businesses
• Yelp (free)
Check the weather
• Weather Bug (free)
Wellness
• iTreadmill ($)
Shop
• RedLaser ($)
• SnapTell (free)
• Shop Nearby (free)
Entertain/Edutain
• Chess Free (free)
• Soduku Challenge! ($)
Children's games and activities
• Preschool Adventure ($)
• Grover's Number Special ($)
Gender specific
• iPregnancy ($)

Travel and Location Aware
Navigate
• Denver Rail (free)
Find POIs and Businesses
• Siri (free)
• Around Me (free)
Specialized
• Geocaching ($$)

Multimedia, Audio, and Video
Take and share pictures
• Snapture ($)
Edit Pictures
• Photoshop Mobile
• ColorSplash
Camera Utilities
• Camera Zoom ($)
• Fototimer ($)
Panoramas
• AutoStitch ($)
• Video Panorama ($)
Take, edit, and share videos
• QikVideo (free)
Listen to audio
• Pandora (free)
• Public Radio (free)
Create and explore audio
• Shazam (free and $)
• Looptastic (free, $, and $$)
• Ocarina ($)
Watch Video
• TV.com (free)
• TED (free)

Interact with Digital and Physical Worlds
Exchange files with computer
• Air Sharing ($ and $$)
• Fliq (free, needs desktop app $$)
• Files Lite (free)
Control other devices
• Air Mouse (free and $)
Stream Video (need separate devices)
• EyeTV ($)
• Dish Remote Access (free)
• Sling Player Mobile ($$$)
Stream Audio
• AirPhones (free and $)

Use Devices Effectively
Text to Speech
• NeoKate (free)
• NeoPaul (free)
Speech to Text
• Dragon Dictation (free)

iear.org -- list of i education apps
autoverbal -- will speak what you type -- talking soundboard pro

EduBloggerCon - Speed Demos

EduBloggerCon Wiki

Speed Demos:
Here is a list of handy websites and tools that may help you use technology in your classroom.

• mashpedia.com - a multimedia encyclopedia - Find videos, images, Wikipedia articles, Twitter posts, new articles, blog posts, websites, books, etc. on topics you search.
  
• paper.li - Create a newspaper from a hashtag. - "paper.li organizes links shared on Twitter into an easy to read newspaper-style format. Newspapers can be created for any Twitter user, list or #tag. A great way to stay on top of all that is shared by the people you follow - even if you are not connected 24/7!"
• glogster - "Simply put, Glog is a kind of poster - fully designed by yourself! Glog is a fancy creation from text, images, music and video." - Here is an example of Glogster used by the Springfield library: springfieldlibrary.wikispaces.com
• Sharaholic.com - Add a button for your browser to send links to any service. You can turn services on and off as desired. - "1-click posting to 100+ services from any webpage You'll have all your favorite social networking, bookmarking, blogging, and e-mail services at your fingertips. With Shareaholic you'll be able to share any page, anytime, with services you already love like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Mail, WordPress, and lots more!"
• exchange.smarttech.com - ideas for teachers using SMART boards/SMART software - "Find lesson plans for your SMART board and connect with teachers."
• express.smarttech.com - SMART Notebook Express - "View, save, and interact with SMART Notebook files online at no charge."
  
• Yolinkeducation.com - free downloadable plugin - "yolink finds and organizes your search results for you, then takes them directly to Google Docs or your favorite social networking site so you can create."
  
• SweetSearch.com - a Search Engine for Students that searches only 35,000 curated sites - Yolink is integrated into SweetSearch.
  
• SweetSearch4Me.com - the new K-8 version of SweetSearch
• letmegooglethatforyou.com
• tinyurl.com - Shorten long URLs to make them easier to share.
  
• longurl.org - Find out what a shortened URL points to.
• hugeURL.com - when you need a really long URL
• readitlaterlist.com - collects web pages, blogs, etc. in a list for you to read later
• jumpcut - "Jumpcut is an application that provides 'clipboard buffering' — that is, access to text that you've cut or copied, even if you've subsequently cut or copied something else. The goal of Jumpcut's interface is to provide quick, natural, intuitive access to your clipboard's history."
• textexpander - "TextExpander saves you countless keystrokes with customized abbreviations for your frequently-used text strings and images."
• edmodo.com - Create a private social network - a place to post things for your class, a place to discuss topics, etc. - Edmodo looks like Facebook, but it is specifically designed for your classroom.
• http://sverigesradio.se/p1/SRc/sing/ - "Let them sing it for you." - When you type in any text, this program takes excerpts from popular songs creating a collage of artists singing what you typed.
  
• techhead.org - Find the lowest prices on Microsoft and Adobe products for k12/higher ed.
  
• google.com/squared - Get the results of your Google search in a table format.
• When using wordle, put a ~ between each word instead of a space and it will keep your words in the order in which you type them.
• http://bingle.nu - Search Bing and Google at the same time and compare the results.

CRT Review!

Have you been wondering how to review with your students for the CRTs in a fun way? Here are the suggestions the Ed Tech and Media Tech teams came up with. Comment and let us know your fun ideas!

• UTIPS - Create tests on UTIPS for your class to take online. If you need help accessing your account, contact your school's Ed Tech. Click here for a pdf of basic UTIPS instructions.
  
• Clickers - Create tests with your SMART clicker software and have your class use the student response system to answer the questions with instant results. Visit the Canyons EMT site for tests that have already been created.
  
• Crossword Puzzles - Review vocabulary by having students complete a crossword puzzle containing key content words and definitions. Create your own crosswords and other puzzles, or have your students create their own, at Puzzlemaker.com.
  
• Podcast - Have the students create podcasts explaining a math formula or demonstrating a grammar concept. Have them perform and record a skit detailing a science concept. Be sure to set a time to allow the class to watch the podcasts. And be sure to share what you have created with your Ed Tech so we can share your podcasts on iTunesU.
  
• PowerPoint Games - Create PowerPoint games like Jeopardy, Who's Smarter Than a 5th Grader, and Hollywood Squares. Find templates for these games at PowerPoint Games.
• ComicLife - Have your students create a comic strip in ComicLife explaining a difficult curriculum concept.
  
• Science Around the World - Prepare science questions for your class and have two students at a time race each other to answer the questions. The student that answers correctly first stays to challenge the next student and earns a "gold coin" for their win. (Other variations: Spelling Baseball, Multiplication Football, etc.)
  

Need help trying out these ideas? Contact your school's Ed Tech!

South America Research Resources

Following are some links about South America to assist 3rd grade teachers and students. Please comment if you know of other helpful links.

South America
CultureGrams via Pioneer Library
UEN - 3rd Grade Examine the Inca of South America
CyberSleuthKids - South America
Lizardpoint - Test your geography knowledge South America
National Geographic - guide to South America
Totally 3rd Grade
Aztecs, Mayas, & Incas: Study of Indigenous People (webquest)
South American Countries (webquest)
ProTeacher South America lesson plans and activities
WorldAtlas.com - maps of South America
PlayKidsGames - South America Country Find
Kidipede - Early South America
Kidipede - South America after 1500 AD

Peru
CultureGrams via Pioneer Library
National Geographic Kids - Peru
Kids Around the World - Peru
KidsKonnect - Peru
National Geographic - Peru
CIA World Factbook - Peru
CIA World Factbook Kids' Page - Peru
Come to Peru

Amazon Rainforest
Teachers' Domain: Amazon Rainforest (video)
Jungle Photos
Mongabay: Tropical Rainforest
Rainforests - curriculum research links
Amazon Rainforest Endangered Animals Game
KidsKonnect: Rainforest - link list

South American Food
FoodsofSouthAmerica.com
iTV Kids South American Food Recipes
Food of the Inca

The Incas
UEN - 3rd Grade Examine the Inca of South America
Aztecs, Mayas, & Incas: Study of Indigenous People (webquest)
The Incredible Incas for Kids
National Geographic Kids Brainteaser Incas Quiz
KidsKonnect: Ancient Inca
The Incas at ppst.com - free PowerPoint presentations

ESL Websites & Software

I asked my teammates if they knew of any websites or software that help ESL students as they learn to read and write. We came up with the following:

• RIF Reading Planet - Reading Is Fundamental - reading activities for kids
  
• Kidspiration - software that can help build vocabulary with picture support
• MES English - "free printables for teachers"
  
• Boardmaker - software - "symbol-based printed activities for students with special needs"
• Starfall - "where students have fun learning to read"
  

Do you have additional suggestions?

Science and Social Studies Educational Websites

Science

• BBC's Science Clips
• Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Toon University
• BBC's Bitesize Science
• Simple Machines
• Weather Maker
• The Water Cycle
• Wolfram Demonstrations Project
• Black Holes
• Electromagnetic Waves
• The Electromagnetic Spectrum
• NASA Science for Kids
• Science NetLinks
• Science Online
• Harcourt School Science
• Science With Tom
• Medical Mysteries
  

Social Studies

• Utah History Encyclopedia
• Utah.com
• County, State, & Country Reports
• The History Channel
• If You Were President
• Gilbert Stuart Making Faces
• The Underground Railroad
• Lizardpoint Geography
• Ancient Rome
• Pearson Social Studies Library
• Smithsonian's History Explorer
• National Geographic's Xpeditions
• EconEdLink
• EDSITEment
• The Kennedy Center's ARTSEDGE
  

Integrating Technology into the Curriculum

Online K-12 teacher resources:

• Canyons EMT
• UEN Core Curriculum
• UEN Student Center
  
• Thinkfinity
• Literacy Network
• Elementary Technology Lessons
  
• Miss Blunt's Engaged Classroom Blog - I frequently post ideas and links on my blog, so click on "Follow" at the bottom of the sidebar or get the RSS feed to receive notices about new posts. Also on my blog: use tags to make your search for specific topics easier, follow me on Twitter, and link to other Ed Tech and teacher blogs
  

**See also my "Reading and Math Educational Websites" post for a lesson plan outline.

County, State, & Country Reports

Several teachers have asked me to suggest online resources to help their students research for county, state, and country reports. Following are some sites I found. Please comment and share your favorite county, state, and country information resources.

Counties of Utah:

• UEN's Counties of Utah
• Pioneer Library - Pioneer has a list of Utah resources. On the Pioneer site, click on "K-12 Schools", then check out the "Utah Collection" column.
• UEN's Core Curriculum Links - UEN provides a list of helpful links for every Core standard and objective. Go to the UEN Core Curriculum page, and select the subject area you want help with. For example: Geography of Utah (SS Standard 1), Utah History (SS Standard 2), Government of Utah (SS Standard 3)
• Utah - Life Elevated (utah.travel)
• Utah.com
• Try searching the name of your county in Google. Most counties have a homepage with cultural, historical, and current information about their county.
  

The United States:

• CultureGrams - States Edition - My favorite! You can access this site through Pioneer Library. It does require a license to access. When you go to the site while on the canyonair network, you will automatically be logged in. If you need the login name and password to login at home, they are listed on the Pioneer homepage.
• Pioneer Library - Pioneer has a list of research resources -- everything from encyclopedias, to search engines, to image collections, to sound clips. On the Pioneer site, click on "K-12 Schools", then check out the "General Reference Collection" and the "Additional Library Resources".
• UEN's Core Curriculum Links - UEN provides a list of helpful links for every Core standard and objective. Go to the UEN Core Curriculum page, and select the subject area you want help with. For example: North American Colonies (SS Standard 1), American Independence (SS Standard 2), US Constitution & Bill of Rights (SS Standard 3),US Expansion (SS Standard 4), US as a World Power (SS Standard 5)
• FactFinder Kids' Corner - Fun State Facts! - from the US Census Bureau
• netstate.com
• 5th Grade State Report Websites - a list of helpful websites
  
• States Timed Test
• Sheppard Software Us Geography - states & capitals tests as well as state information
• Encyclopedia.com
• US States and Regions at ppst.com
• Infoplease Origin of State Names
• Regions of the United States
  
• Try searching the name of your state in Google. Most states have a homepage with cultural, historical, and current information about their state.
  

Countries of the World:

• CultureGrams - World Edition - My favorite! You can access this site through Pioneer Library. It does require a license to access. When you go to the site while on the canyonair network, you will automatically be logged in. If you need the login name and password to login at home, they are listed on the Pioneer homepage.
• Pioneer Library - Pioneer has a list of research resources -- everything from encyclopedias, to search engines, to image collections, to sound clips. On the Pioneer site, click on "K-12 Schools", then check out the "General Reference Collection" and the "Additional Library Resources".
• UEN's Core Curriculum Links - UEN provides a list of helpful links for every Core standard and objective. Go to the UEN Core Curriculum page, and select the subject area you want help with. For example: Ancient Civilizations (SS Standard 1), Middle Ages/Renaissance (SS Standard 2), Revolutions (SS Standard 3), Current Global Issues (SS Standard 4)
• Embassy.org - Click on the "Embassies" link at the top to get addresses to send letters to embassies of countries around the world. Many embassies will send information, recipes, and even music, books, or posters.
• Lizardpoint Geography - geography tests for various countries and continents
• CIA World Factbook
• Lonely Planet
• countryreports.org
• infoplease Countries of the World
• Encyclopedia.com
• Scholastic's Global Trek
• Try searching the name of your country in Google. Most countries have a homepage with cultural, historical, and current information about their country.